West side story is no pipe dream
Lathrop laying infrastructure for more than 20,000 new homes
08.25.06, 6:42 AM PDT
By Cheryl Winkelman, STAFF WRITER
LATHROP - It may look only like the installation of really big pipes or the movement of huge mounds of dirt, but the initial construction currently under way for the Central Lathrop development symbolizes a part of the citys explosive growth.
The 1,500-acre, 6,800-home project is the third development planned for the citys west side, transforming the once barren area into a hub of parks, residences and retail, commercial and office space.
Families have already moved into some of the finished homes in Mossdale Village, while some homes are still under construction. The development will consist of 2,300 homes when completed.
And grading, or the moving of dirt, for the 11,000 unit River Islands, which will be built on Stewart Tract, is now being done.
More than 20,000 new homes will be erected along the west sides landscape.
Most of the grading has been completed for Central Lathrop, said Don Wagner, the construction project manager. Colorful pink and purple pipes are being installed for recycled waste water and clear water, and enormous, 90-inch pipes big enough for a person to walk through will serve as storm drains.
Its the first phase of putting in all the infrastructure ... said Marilyn Ponton, Lathrop's interim community development director.
"It's pretty exciting," she said.
Within the next week or so, streets will be constructed, Wagner said, for the project that is north of River Islands Parkway and east of the San Joaquin River.
After that, curbs, gutters and sidewalks will be installed.
Actual vertical construction is planned for spring 2007, as is the completion of the first homes. People should be able to move into them by the end of the year, said Clifton Taylor of Richland Communities, the project's developer.
Five million square feet of office and commercial space are also set to be part of Central Lathrop, as is the city's first high school.
To contact Cheryl Winkelman, call (209) 832-6144 or email at cwinkelman@trivalleyherald.com.